* No longer available. †Not available in all countries; please inquire.

Principle

The QIAGEN Vacuum Pump is suitable for all standard laboratory vacuum procedures (capacity 34 L/min, 8 mbar vacuum abs.). The Vacuum Pump, in combination with QIAvac vacuum manifolds, enables vacuum processing of many QIAGEN nucleic acid purification kits. Vacuum-driven liquid processing is an attractive alternative to centrifugation that minimizes the hands-on time needed for sample preparation. The QIAvac Connecting System together with the QIAvac 24 Plus vacuum manifold has been used successfully evaluating kit performance at QIAGEN.

The QIAvac Holder (see figure "QIAvac Holder") is designed to stabilize the QIAGEN Plasmid Plus Mega and Giga columns together with Tube Extenders on the QIAvac 24 Plus. It prevents movement of the assembled columns and extenders, particularly when containing large volumes of liquid.

VacValves are inserted directly into the luer slots of the QIAvac 24 Plus manifold and should be used if sample flow rates differ significantly to ensure consistent vacuum. VacValves ensure constant vacuum pressure when using viscous samples, such as blood.

VacConnectors (see figure "VacConnector") are disposable connectors that fit onto the outlet nozzles of QIAamp spin columns and QIAprecipitator modules, and into the luer extensions of QIAvac 24, QIAvac Luer Adapters on QIAvac 6S (no longer available), or VacValves on QIAvac 24. They enable efficient vacuum processing as an alternative to microcentrifugation for isolation of nucleic acids. VacConnectors are designed to prevent direct contact between spin columns or modules and luer connectors during purification, avoiding even trace amounts of cross-contamination. VacConnectors are discarded after single use.

QIAvac Luer Adapters allow convenient processing of up to 24 spin columns on QIAvac 6S (no longer available). Samples and wash solutions are drawn through the spin columns by vacuum rather than centrifugation, providing even greater speed in purification procedures. The outlet nozzles of QIAprep, QIAquick, and MinElute spin columns have been designed to fit directly into the luer connectors on QIAvac Luer Adapters. Each Luer Adapter contains 4 luer connectors and six Luer Adapters fit into the slots of the QIAvac 6S top plate, allowing 24 samples to be processed at once. Use of the VacConnectors in addition to QIAvac Luer Adapters enables QIAamp spin columns to be accommodated on QIAvac 6S (no longer available).

The Vacuum Regulator (see figure "Vacuum Regulator") supplied by QIAGEN allows easy monitoring and adjustment of the vacuum pressure for procedures using QIAvac manifolds. Optimal yield and purity of nucleic acid preparations are obtained when the pressure generated by the vacuum source is within a specific range for the QIAGEN purification chemistry being used (as indicated in each product handbook).

Procedure

For procedures, please refer to the handling guidelines in the corresponding handbook.

Applications

QIAvac Accessories facilitate vacuum processing of samples for various applications.